Child Item

Site Totals

61365 Questions Answered 267 Categories

Incredible overheats and shuts down using GPS.

My phone overheats and gets in a shutdown reboot loop when using GPS. It did this while plugged into car charger. I concluded it was overcharging. Today I tried using GPS without charger. There was direct sun hitting the screen (I'm in Florida). It soon shut down and got in the Terrible Loop. I've read a lot about this online and there are many different experiences and views. The phone does not do this inside the house with a wall charger.
Does anyone know if Verizon has a definitive answer for this. I've read of other customers with this problem getting replacement phones that do the same thing. Someone speculated it was the original screen used for the Incredible (made by Samsung).
I checked on getting a Garmin navigation system and read they also can overheat and shutdown. I prefer to use my phone but don't want to have to drive holding it in front of the air conditioner with an umbrella over it to use Google navigation.

Any info and advice are appreciated.
Thanks to all.

Comments

budone

Just like a PC, the processor needs to reamin relatively cool. When the satelitte dish on the notification bar, the processor is constantly working so the phone will get warm. However having the unit in direct sunlight will most likely push it over the safe limit and shut down the unit.

If you can, move it out of the sun or have an AC vent pointed and blowing on the phone

nimiaj

@marchhare, a few more pointer to add to what budone said:

are you using a plastic case on your phone which may be making it more difficult to dissipate heat?
do you keep other radios on? (e.g. bluetooth, wifi). Since it is already using the 3G and GPS radios, having ALL four running at once could increase heat generation as well
can you turn down screen brightness? having the screen constantly on at full brightness (or auto mode) generates more heat too!

Hope this helps!

Ann154

The only other thing I can add to all that information is if possible try and find car dock that can put the phone in front of a car vent. That way the a/c can blow directly on the phone. Maybe even one you can adjust for the times you are running the heater.

wsl03

marchhare wrote:
My phone overheats and gets in a shutdown reboot loop when using GPS. It did this while plugged into car charger. I concluded it was overcharging. Today I tried using GPS without charger. There was direct sun hitting the screen (I'm in Florida). It soon shut down and got in the Terrible Loop. I've read a lot about this online and there are many different experiences and views. The phone does not do this inside the house with a wall charger.
Does anyone know if Verizon has a definitive answer for this. I've read of other customers with this problem getting replacement phones that do the same thing. Someone speculated it was the original screen used for the Incredible (made by Samsung).
I checked on getting a Garmin navigation system and read they also can overheat and shutdown. I prefer to use my phone but don't want to have to drive holding it in front of the air conditioner with an umbrella over it to use Google navigation.
Any info and advice are appreciated.
Thanks to all.

Marchare, you will want to make sure that you have the right fuse in your car for your cigarette lighter, also are you using the charger meant for the phone or some third party charger? Sometimes the charger can go faulty and cause problems, usually not sending power, but occasionally it can send too much. Also , the phone will shut down if the battery is overheating, usually you will get a orange-green blinking before it gets to this point.

Personally, I don't plug my phone in while using the GPS until it starts getting low on the battery. While they sell the carmount, it isn't advised to use the gps in direct sunlight either, contradictory I know. When your phone overheats and shuts off, you will want to let it cool down before trying to turn it on again. If this doesn't solve the problem then you likely need a new battery or perhaps even a new phone.

marchhare

Thanks for this feedback. I will follow these good suggestions. But am still wondering if this is an Incredible characteristic that most owners would experience. I've used other phones in these conditions and didn't have to take precautions when using GPS.

Have discovered the charger makes it worse but is not the cause. Have used GPS without charger but with sunlight and it shuts off. So does everyone who uses their Incredible with Navigation have to keep it out of the sun?

AZSALUKI

i actually lay it on my leg and keep it pluuged in (i live in phoenix....not even gonna attempt to put it up in the dash...lol) or set it up in a little area above my stereo (ironically, my sentra has a little glove box thing right above my stereo that my inc fits perfectly in). both ways keeps mine out of the sun. it's not just the incredible....i've seen this issue with many other androids when using them as gps in the sun. if you search the forums for the X the original droid, etc...you will find similar issues. i know the devices are "capable" of gps navigation, but i don't feel that they were truly designed that well for this function. but if you keep it out of the sun, it should work fine. my xm radio used to get very hot in the summer and (as ann mentioned) i got a dock for it that mounts to my vent. it's been fine now for 3 years....the ac blows directly on it and i can drive for hours in 110 heat/sun, and no issues with it getting hot.

Ann154

I don't have the Dinc, but I do have to keep my phone out of the sun and every so often hold it to a/c vent to cool if down during the times I use the navigation or another application I have that is gps intensive.

nimiaj

On a trip to Texas I used it for navigation for the whole day. Plugged in too. No problem to report! Like AZSALUKI, the car I rented had a neat little glovebox right on the dash where i propped up my DInc!

When I'm in a somewhat known area and looking for directions, I will setup the navigation and turn of the screen and put the phone in my shirt pocket! Now this is cool because, when I approach an intersection or next turn, the navigation will speak up and I don't need to keep peeking at the screen (plus it uses less battery)! I don't know if you would be confortable doing that, but it works well for me!

Jax_Omen

I use my phone in bluetooth mode, hooked up to my bluetooth car stereo, as a music player and navigation. Music plays, when Google Maps needs to tell me a direction, it cuts the music, announces the GPS information, then brings the music back on. Furthermore, because it's wireless, the phone stays in my pocket the whole time, out of direct sunlight. Or, if I need to charge it, it's sitting in a holder that's out of the sunlight. I've never had it overheat. It's extra handy with the bluetooth because I can use the stereo next/pause/etc buttons to control my music too!

My old stereo I had to use an aux input for the same thing, I got the bluetooth because A) it makes controlling my music way easier, and

my power plug and headphone jack on my phone are RIGHT next to each other and they create a nice feedback hum in my car when used in tandem!

Tuure

This is my second Incred. I do not like the phone at all it is just as bad as the first shutting down while listening to radio at work, I think I need the IPhone :smileyhappy:

Child Item